Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 291: Request for War Rejected
When Yang Lian and You Shigong finished inspecting the east gate defense line and crossed the moat to the city gate, He Shixian, the general guarding Shenyang, and Sun Chuanting, the Shenyang inspector, had been waiting there for a long time.

They came forward together, asking the same question You Shigong had asked earlier. After receiving the same answer, they shared a similar expression of sudden realization. Their sudden realizations were mingled with different emotions. He Shixian's lips curved in a barely perceptible smile, while Sun Chuanting's brows held a palpable expression of helplessness and reluctance.

"Central Minister Yang, Marshal He, and Director Sun, I still have to supervise the construction outside the city, so I won't be going into the city." After exchanging greetings, the deputy general of the auxiliary town, You Shigong, bowed and said goodbye to the three of them.

"Yes." Yang Lian and He Shixian nodded and bowed, and Sun Chuanting bowed.

"Goodbye." You Shigong adjusted the formation in the open space under the east gate wall, and then returned to the construction site of the twelfth trench with his servants.

The two civil officials and one military officer rode to the Shenyang Central Guard Command Office. Then, the three sat down in order, with Yang Lian sitting in the main seat, He Shixian next on the left, and Sun Chuanting next on the right.

After sitting down, Yang Lian looked at He Shixian and asked solemnly, "Has the slave chief moved his nest?"

"I can't be sure, but it's very likely." He Shixian nodded and stood up, leaving his chair, which hadn't even warmed up yet. He walked over to the Liaodong situation map and pointed to the location of Sarhu between Fushun and Jiefan. He said, "Four days ago, Ye Bu Shou, who was hiding near Fushun, reported back at great risk of his life. He said that Sarhu Fort has been expanded several times, far exceeding its original size. Its structure is made of rammed earth walls and huge wooden fences, and it is large enough to accommodate tens of thousands of people. There are slave soldiers guarding the walls day and night, and slave soldiers patrolling outside the walls day and night. Moreover, there are many scouts in the forest. Therefore, I believe that most of the slave soldiers have gathered here. As for whether the slave chief Nurhaci has moved on, I can't be sure."

"When did the chieftain build a new nest here?" Yang Lian asked.

"I don't know." He Shixian shook his head and said, "But if the intelligence is true, in order to expand the city to this point, it would require at least more than 10,000 able-bodied men and several months of construction. So I speculate that the construction of Sarhu Nest should have started around the time when Shen Feng was attacked." The Ming army had no insiders in the Jiannu Nest, so they didn't know when the construction of Sarhu City began and could only rely on guessing.

"Okay. I understand." Yang Lian had no military responsibilities, so he was just asking. He stared at the map for a long time, then said, "Before I entered the city, I heard from Lieutenant General You that the guards had brought back two heads with their homemade muskets."

Sun Chuanting took over and said, "Yes. The soldiers returned with the bodies and captured two horses. Clothes and weapons are all there. The head shape is the 'tuft of rat hair' of a real slave. There are no freshly shaved hairs on the scalp, and the sunburn marks are very obvious. It is a real barbarian head." The Ming Dynasty's first merit inspection was very complex and strict. It was not just a military general's submission. It had to go through multiple levels of inspection by civil officials at all levels in the border towns, and finally, it had to be sent to Beijing for review by the Ministry of War before the process was completed and the merit could be counted and rewarded. Any error at any point could result in the heads being invalidated. Sun Chuanting, a civil servant stationed in Shenyang who held the titles of both the Ministry of War and the Censorate, was the first checkpoint in the inspection of the two heads.

"Where's the head?" Yang Lian asked. Yang Lian had already achieved a position of near authority in the work of examining heads. He was so combative that the officials in the Ministry of War who were responsible for examining heads dared not arbitrarily seize the heads he had examined in order to demand benefits. Moreover, he was a well-known and honest official. He would not accept gifts from anyone, would not eat anyone's food, and would only act according to his own standards. He was also very trusted by the emperor, and it was difficult to impeach him. Therefore, not long after he arrived, Xiong Tingbi handed over the entire work to him, and only responsible for signing and using the seal.

"It has been cut down and hung at the market entrance," Sun Chuanting replied.

"Why hang it in the market?" Generally, severed heads were buried in salt and placed inside government offices. Hanging them outside would not only rot easily, but also risk being eaten by birds, destroying the head's key features.

"To intimidate the city's spies!" He Shixian patted the positions of Fengji and Hupi Forts, his eyes gleaming with eagerness. "The activities of the slave bandits and spies are becoming increasingly frequent, and the city is in turmoil. We've even received numerous reports of enemy forces spying on our military near Fengji and Hupi Forts. That old wild boar skin is about to make a big move!"

"You look excited?" Yang Lian asked, frowning slightly.

"Of course!" He Shixian said, "Ever since the fall of Kai and Tieshi, I have not stopped thinking about recovering our territory. If Nurhaci were to come out in full force, I would fight him to the death right here in front of Shenyang. This would wash away the infamy and humiliation I have suffered along the way to Qinghe, 'not daring to fight, not being able to fight.'"

The so-called Qinghe Road refers to the southern army led by Li Rubai during the Battle of Sarhu. Because this route of attack was from Qinghe to Yagu Pass to attack Hetuala, He Shixian named it the Qinghe Road.

On March 4, the 47th year of the Wanli reign, the Southern Route Army received news that the advance of Du Song and Ma Lin had been disastrous, and that Liu Ying's forces were under siege. He Shixian, then Deputy Lieutenant General, suggested to General Li Rubai that he allow him to lead his elite troops ahead to quickly rendezvous with Liu Ying's forces and provide support. However, Li Rubai firmly refused, forcing He Shixian and his men to suppress their fighting spirit until Yang Hao's order to withdraw arrived at the Southern Route Army camp two days later.

This decision to retreat without a fight not only brought disgrace upon Li Rubai, nearly forcing him to hang himself due to court opinion, but also left He Shixian resentful. Many people he had known for most of their lives perished in the icy snows of Sarhu, their bodies never recovered. After the fall of Kaiyuan and Tieling, He Shixian was filled with resentment and had nowhere to vent his sorrow, turning to alcohol to drown his sorrows. For a time, He Shixian lived like a walking corpse, unable to sleep without a drink. He had always been a heavy drinker, and this drinking habit had catapulted him into severe alcohol dependence. It wasn't until Sun Chuanting, following Xiong Tingbi's instructions, forced He Shixian to stop drinking that he finally managed to break free from his trance, struggling through the burning withdrawal symptoms.

"It seems I'm going to disappoint you." Yang Lian stood up and walked to He Shixian and said.

"What do you mean?" He Shixian was puzzled.

"I've brought Xiong Zuotang's order." Yang Lian didn't have to pull anything out; he had already memorized the order. With the royal banner's blessing, he didn't need any additional tokens to become Xiong Tingbi's incarnation. "General He Shixian, listen to my orders!"

"Yes." He Shixian walked up to Yang Lian and knelt on one knee.

"The three cities of Shen, Feng and Hu do not need to worry about Liaoyang, but the lords must be united and work together. If the enemy invades in large numbers, then you should occupy the strong cities, support each other, and hold out against the enemy. Do not fight the enemy lightly. If the enemy rushes into the battle, just use firearms to repel them. If the enemy retreats and you are tempted to send troops to chase them, do not chase them! Do not chase them!" The last sentence was not added by Yang Lian. Xiong Tingbi wrote it twice in the original text.

"Even if the enemy escapes the city and attacks Liao, you must not pursue them. I will wear armor and ride a horse, command the elite soldiers of the standard camp, and join the local troops from Sichuan and Zhejiang to resist the enemy. Liao can hold its own, and the enemy will not be able to do anything to us! Your priority is to ensure that this city is not lost!"

"When your city is secure, muster your best troops and march to Fushun at night, pretending to attack the enemy's new camp. When the enemy learns of this, they will surely abandon Liao and flee back to save themselves. If this happens, I will lead the troops from Liao to drive them from behind, while you will block them from the front."

"Don't fight the enemy. Just drain their blood. If they die, let them go back to their lair!" With that, Yang Lian walked over to He Shixian and took hold of his arm, hoping to help him up. But He Shixian roughly shook off Yang Lian's support and shouted in shock, "Why don't you fight?!" "I can't fight." Yang Lian took a half step back, his face surprisingly calm. "General He, it's true that all your battalions are elite soldiers who can and dare to fight, but the Chieftain has been managing for a long time, and he has even more elite soldiers and generals. It's better to keep the useful ones and consume them first."

He Shixian interrupted Yang Lian, a rare occurrence, and said anxiously, "I've been hiding for two years. If I can't fight the enemy, what's the point of staying here? The enemy has elite troops, and we Liao have also gathered elite troops! The elite troops from all the towns have gathered in Liao, so why is the governor still afraid to fight?"

Yang Lian was unfazed by He Shixian's rudeness. He bowed deeply and said solemnly, "Though those gathered in Liaozhen are elite soldiers, they don't speak the same language, have no tacit understanding, and have no coordination. Holding the ground and not retreating is fine, but advancing to join the suppression will surely lead to collapse. If we suffer another defeat like the one at Sarhu, our Ming Dynasty will no longer have elite soldiers to use. By then, the entire country will be in turmoil, and the danger will not only be to the cities in Liao, but also to our Ming Dynasty. Now the opportunity for a decisive battle is entirely in the hands of the enemy. They can attack if they advance and flee if they retreat. It is better to reduce their strength and wait for them to weaken and exhaust themselves. When they are exhausted and we are full, we can then use the enemy's tactics against them, gradually advance to rebuild the fort, and erode their livelihood. Force the enemy into a decisive battle."

Before arriving in Liao, even Yang Lian was misled by court debate, believing the Liao were already capable of a major attack. However, after several tours of duty, Yang Lian fully agreed with Xiong Tingbi's strategy of first defending and then suppressing, with a gradual recovery plan. While Liao possessed over 140,000 troops, the specific situation was that they were more foreign troops than domestic troops, more new recruits than veterans. Nurhaci, however, commanded a wealth of talented generals, and since launching his rebellion, he had been virtually undefeated. Even in the Battle of Shenyang and Fengtian, he retreated with ease, even collecting the bodies and denying the Ming army the opportunity to claim victory by beheading them. Sending troops now to engage the enemy in a decisive battle might result in the complete destruction of the elite troops, resulting in the loss of both Liao and Shenyang. As for food and pay, that was a problem for the rear.

"Alas!" He Shixian was not convinced. He raised his head and sighed sadly. Then he walked back to his seat silently and sat down tiredly.

Yang Lian didn't say much. He returned to his seat and looked at Sun Chuanting. Sun Chuanting was stunned for a moment, then nodded seriously, understanding what Yang Lian meant.

"General He." After sitting quietly for a while, Yang Lian took the initiative to speak.

"." He Shixian lowered his head and looked at Yang Lian, his whole face showing "There is no greater sorrow than a dead heart."

"The imperial envoy has arrived in Liaoyang." Yang Lian said.

"." He Shixian's expression changed, but he still didn't say anything.

"The imperial envoy brought you the reward from the emperor, as well as the silver that your unit reported as the first meritorious service." Yang Lian spoke slowly.

"Really!" This good news was like a warm current flowing into He Shixian's chest, causing his gradually calming heartbeat to suddenly increase in frequency. He Shixian was not a greedy person. The civil servants in Liaodong and the capital did not ask him for favors, so he did not have much to spend. However, the first merit silver was the soldiers' reward. The court withheld this money, which put a lot of pressure on officers at all levels, including him. Every time he went to the standard camp, an officer would ask him when the reward would be issued. Fortunately, the court had not delayed the reward but the salary in the past few months, otherwise he would have been unable to sleep well at night.

Opposite emotions hit He Shixian's brain, making him neither happy nor sad. In the end, he could only scratch his head embarrassedly.

"I've brought them all to you, how could they be fake?" Yang Lian said with a warm smile, "The rewards and the first merit silver are separate. The Emperor has distributed silver, colored silk, and cloth to you and your generals. They should all have been escorted to the various warehouses by now. Find a time to distribute them tomorrow."

"Me too?" He Shixian was surprised. In his experience, the rewards a general could receive from the court were mainly promotions. After a major victory in a war, a reward of several dozen or even a hundred taels was considered a great reward. To truly get rich, one had to resort to corruption, false salaries, and other tricks.

"Of course. One thousand taels of silver, forty pieces of cotton cloth, and ten pieces of colored silk." Yang Lian said, "The emperor gave them all rewards in consideration of the hard work of the border generals." He only said the nice things, and there was no need to say the unpleasant words.

He Shixian quickly stood up and bowed in the direction of the Xi'nan Division to express his gratitude for the reward and to praise the king whom he had never met.

After the ceremony, He Shixian stood up and was about to thank Yang Lian for delivering the reward, but he saw that Yang Lian had already put away the joy on his face and said, "I came to Shenyang with the royal banner. In addition to helping the imperial envoy deliver the reward and passing on the order for Zuo Tang, I also have one thing to do."

"What about that Seljuq interpreter?" He Shixian glanced at Sun Chuanting subconsciously.

"Correct."

"Are you here to investigate a case?" Sun Chuanting asked tentatively.

"No." Yang Lian shook his head and said directly: "This person will not survive. I am here to kill."

In terms of official power, Xiong Tingbi's authority in Liaodong was absolute. He had the power to immediately execute military officers below the rank of lieutenant general, dismiss deputy generals, impeach generals, and control other civil officials. When he proposed killing the unofficial Seljuq interpreter, other civil officials, including the governor and provincial inspector, could only dissuade him.

If Yang Lian took the banner but did not do his job, the nature of the matter would not be lip service to Xiong Tingbi, but rather opposition to the emperor's authorization, which could be elevated to deceiving the emperor. Although Xiong Tingbi could not kill him, he could suspend him from his post and submit an impeachment memorial.

"Kill him without investigation?" Sun Chuanting was shocked. With He Shixian's foreshadowing, he instinctively thought Xiong Jinglie was protecting him, and a complex emotion welled up in his heart.

"No. We will investigate first before killing. We have to clarify the matter clearly, otherwise it will be difficult to write the memorial." Yang Lian said.

(End of this chapter)